


A Helping Hand

by HetaFruitsOuranHp321



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Child Abandonment, FUCKING TAKE THAT DEPRESSION, Finally, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA, I CAN GET SHIT DONE, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It's done, Other, after so long, don't you dare tag this as max///vid you fucks, hahahahahaha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 22:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15520239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HetaFruitsOuranHp321/pseuds/HetaFruitsOuranHp321
Summary: When Max’s parents don’t pick him up, David offers he crash at his place. Still yet they haven’t come, and soon CPS get a call. With David now fostering the boy, he’s stuck on what to do.





	A Helping Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This work for the Dadvid Big Bang was a sequel to The Stars Look Nice Tonight. I recommend that you read it first here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/12009528
> 
> I wanna thank my partner phoenix-opulauoho for being there encouraging me through the tough times, Directium for being so fucking patient on my lazy ass to post this, and Juditsa88 (https://juditsa88.tumblr.com/) for being just as patient to post her artwork for this fic. (Link to Art: https://juditsa88.tumblr.com/post/176518862005/this-is-the-drawing-for-dadvidismycanonheadcanon )
> 
> Thank you all and Campe Diem! Criticism is appreciated!

The night’s echoes of a slight breeze and the occasional wave flooded the ears of the young curly haired boy. His backpack and teddy bear clutched to his sides. The last camper went home hours ago. Where were they he wondered. Perhaps traffic or a slip of the mind. But whatever it was… They were way beyond late. A few hours at most. The stars were beginning to appear, and he found himself alone. 

Looking up, he remembered the night after Parents Day. David had shown him constellations, taught and made a few with him. It felt as if that had been last night. Max reconnected those stars, the lines, the emotions that had impacted him that night. The stars did indeed look nice tonight. 

He jumped when the noise of his counselor’s hiking boots against the wood of the cabin interrupted his thoughts. He turned his head towards the red head and scowled. “Yeah?”

“Mind if I sit?” 

“Go ahead.”

His counselor did as he was told and sat down on the hardwood floor of the deck. But in retrospect, Max DIDN'T care. Not at all. His entire world was coming to the solution he knew David would tell him. How pathetic he felt. David smiled and looked up. “So… still waiting I see.”

“Yeah. What gave that away?”

“Lucky guess.”

Max knew it was a lie. He knew David figured out what was going on. Max decided to get it over with. “When did you call them?”

David sighed. “Before Gwen left. I insisted I'd stay.”

That had been an hour ago. For fucks sakes. Max clenched his fist and felt his nails dig into his palms, the sting at least bringing him some feeling. Of course, his own God damn parents didn't care. Why would they? It wasn't like he wasn't used to being left behind. His parents constantly left him at home for as long as he could remember. For work? Yes understandable. For trips? For nights out? To do God knows what? He'd lost count. Last time he had someone to look after him he was six. And that told him enough. Max had lost count of how many times he even cried at night as a little kid whenever his parents didn’t return as they promised they would.

“David?” 

“Hmm?”

Max grabbed the bear from his bag and clutched tight to him. “You said you were a foster kid. What happened? How did you end up in the system?”

That hit David hard. He didn't think to ever tell about his life. Holding himself a bit, David only looked down at the ground. It wasn’t until Max asked again twice that he answered.  
“My teacher told the counselor.”

-~-

“David please you're not in trouble. What gave you that bruise?” Mrs. Kowlaski asked concerned. David didn't look at her knowing he would in fact be trouble if he told.  
His father had said so. If he told, there would be more than just a smack. A hit maybe? A scream? He wished mommy were here. It was his fault she left after all. But he knew if mommy were here, his father would be happier. David only was brought out of his train of thought when Mrs. Kowlaski said his name a bit louder. 

“David we can help you. Where did you get the bruise?” Help sounded foreign to him. He thought about how his daddy would threaten him if he told. He was scared. Scared that his daddy would be angry at him further. Because not only would he be the reason mommy left, but also be the reason his father would be put in jail. He’d heard of the place, and how bad guys were put there by superheroes and cops. But his father didn’t look like those villains in the comics and shows. His father looked just like any other person. 

David was torn between two options. Lie and say everything was okay so his father wouldn’t get in trouble and put in that jail, or tell the truth and let his teacher and counselor know what was going on. He was torn. So torn because both seemed like the right choice. Both sounded like life would be fine if he did them. He could handle more hitting if it meant his daddy wasn’t in jail with the bad guys. But if he told his counselor, they could help his daddy get better from those drinks. From those substances. And maybe perhaps… 

Maybe perhaps it could help mommy come home. 

It all spiraled from down there. He told the truth. Told of the blame. Told of his mother’s note, the hitting, the yelling. He just wanted his father happy again. And mommy was the only one who could help. He told of how it started and how long it’d been going on. He answered questions to the best of his abilities. He expected that perhaps his mommy would be found and brought home. What he didn’t expect were the policemen, the woman taking him away, his clothes and toys in a bag. His father never being in his sight after that. 

His six-year-old mind couldn’t understand the situation. Why wasn’t his mommy coming home already? He thought this would bring her home faster. A blur of events and he was with a new family, one he didn’t want to be part of. The kids picked on him, the parents were busy, and the little toddler stole his toys. He just wanted his mommy. 

Every family ended up either taking a pity approach or just being awful. David was scared at this point. Why couldn’t they have just given mommy to him? He thought they wanted to help him. He thought that they cared. Clearly they didn’t.

He was eight when a brand-new family sent him to camp. Already relocated and it was clear they wanted to get rid of him. What a joke. He arrived at the camp, getting off the musty yellow bus, which an old strange and very off-putting old man driving was driving with one hand and a hook, David gave a face of disgust and scoffed at the sight of the sign reading ‘Camp Campbell’, the -bell starting to show signs of fading. 

“Tch… What a hellhole.” David muttered. 

“You must be little Davey!” A voice called out to him and made him jump. David turned to see a young man with sparkling eyes wearing a green shirt with a tree on it come towards him. His dark skin was dripping with sweat from the heat, something David tried to ignore as well, and David turned to him crossing his arms. Great. A chipper fucker. 

“It’s David.” David groaned. “And what’s it matter to you?”

“I’m Gregg! I work here at Camp Campbell!”

-~-

“So, they just… Left you?” Max asked. David shrugged. 

“Well my families did a lot of things. But a few, yes, had left me.”

Max felt a twinge of guilt. And he thought he had it bad. Though he couldn’t really admit it since he didn’t want to burden David any more than he had this summer. Not that he'd admit it. David only smiled. 

“C’mon. It's 10. Let's get you some sleep. I don’t want you too tired to think clearly in the morning. It’s going to be a big day. Okay?” David opened the cabin door and lead Max inside.

It all had been a blur. One minute, Max was in the counselor cabin. The next in the back seat of cars. And before he knew it, a home or two.  
Max tried to seem indifferent. Unaffected. But these homes were getting to him. How could they not? These homes weren't any different from his own. In fact, where is home? 

Maybe Max wouldn't ever get to know.

In the back of a car, his bag of clothes once more next to him, Max scowled at the passing trees. Forests were okay if they didn't remind you of a camp you hated. And yet, it was that feeling of leaving the camp you hated more. Max sighed as he turned the music of his CD player up. A gift from the last family when he first came to them. The sounds of ACDC’s Shake Your Foundations echoed in his ears through the headphones and soon he was lost in the sea of thoughts.

Perhaps it was the aura of the lulling road, or the feeling of boredom coming over him. One minute he was watching the trees all zoom by in a blur, and the next his case manager Mrs. Polar was telling him to wake up. He must’ve fallen asleep. Groaning, Max begrudgingly unhooked the seat belt and grabbed his bag. When he came out of the car, the sight of his new home met his eyes.

A rather beautiful and breathtaking ranch style log cabin stood right in front of him. It was red cedar from what he could tell and had a second story. A porch overlooking the property on the second floor had rather tasteful cabin furniture decor. The main patio for the front door held a bench swing and the door a mahogany color. It was like looking at a post card.

And the forests surrounding the area added to the aesthetic. Whoever lived here, Max figured they must be some rich sons of a bitches. That or this was obviously a joke. Max turned to Mrs. Polar with a look of uncertainty. “Is this… Really it?”

“Yes, it is. Or it better be. Otherwise Mr. Callisto gave me the wrong address.” Max raised a brow at the house. Callisto. Weird name. But he’d seen weirder and heard stranger things while in the system. Whatever got him out of the damn cars.

When the pair of them arrived at the door, Mrs. Polar knocked on the door and soon footsteps could be heard. Max clutched the bag and glared at the door, knowing the routine. The hello’s, “is this little Max?”, all that touchy feeling shit that soon disappeared within a week when the parents became too troubled with taking in another person in their care. Max couldn’t wait until he was 18. 

But when the door opened, time froze. The sounds of Mrs. Polar seeing the situation unfold blurred. Max stared up at the familiar face he hadn’t seen since the summer. The one that stayed with him the entire waiting time, the one that he’d once hated with a fury and passion. The one who was truly understanding of his emotions.  
Both pairs of green eyes widened as Mrs. Polar looked between them.

“David?”

“Max?”

“I take it you’ve met each other before?” 

David looked up at Mrs. Polar and tried to find the right words to form in his mouth. “Well… I mean… Yes?”

“And how do you know each other exactly?”

“I was his camp counselor.”

-~-

From that point on, the entire week was a strange and new experience for Max. This was David. His camp counselor. He was living in his house. One that he never expected first off to be a David house. He always thought he lived at camp or even in a shabby shack with essentials here and there. Not to mention one thing: He was the richest son of a bitch Max ever knew. A surprise that had Max thinking why he even worked at the underpaying camp.

But it was strange for David too. This was his little camper. The one who eventually was open to him about his homelife. The one he made up constellations with. The one he confessed about his homelife to. Everything was new but old with Max. It had been strange trying to talk to the boy, asking what he wanted and how he wanted it for a starter. Another that seemed so alien to him was the fact that Max would seem… apprehensive around him.

Not that he would blame the poor boy. When he was younger, David wasn’t exactly trusting of anyone either. Not after his all his father had drilled into him. He was going to need some help.

When dinner had finished, David called up the stairs where Max dwelled.

“Max! Dinner’s done! Come get it while it’s hot!” The thumping following him down the stairs indicated that Max was coming down. When the two of them sat at the table, David served the plates of food and started eating. Max did so slowly and almost suspiciously. David could see something was bothering him.

“Something wrong kiddo?” David asked with concern coating his voice.

“So David, when are you going to send me back?” This was new.

“Send you back? With Mrs. Polar? Max you just arrived here.” David wasn’t surprised this was a conversation. He’d had his fair share of them when in the system too. “I’m not going to send you away after a week of living in my house if that’s what you’re implying. Are you unhappy here?”

“Forget it.”

Eating in silence was more uncomfortable than David anticipated that night. Not that it hadn’t been uncomfortable any other night. But this one was giving him hell. Was this how they felt when he lived with them? When Max went up for bed, David stayed up a bit longer and looked around for some old albums. Ones that he kept of camp pictures in for this reason. When nights were too cloudy, and he needed to think. 

Opening to a random page in the book, David looked at the old group photo of the year he had just turned nine. Smiling, he looked at the sour face he held in the photo. Was he really that much of a trouble maker when he was younger?

-~-

“Alright Campbell campers! Who’s ready for that nature hike?!” Gregg asked in that chipper ear-piercing tone. David couldn’t handle it. His face turned into one of disgust as he watched the other campers raise their hands excitedly into the air. Jasper’s hand waving in the air wildly like a balloon at a car dealership.

Tch. Lame.

David went to go sneak out of the crowd, hoping to snatch a soda or two in the Quartermaster’s store. He’d seen the creep carrying one the other night and David’s focus was on finding that stash. A hand on his shoulder stopped him abruptly and caught him by surprise. He turned to see the other counselor looking at him with a smile. 

“Now come on Davey! I know you don’t want to participate and that you’re not really into the camp spirit but come on! It’ll be fun!” She wasn’t convincing him.

“Darla please. If anything, it’s going to turn into Gregg wanting to identify every freaking tree and you having us sing some cheery happy hiking song.” David pushed Darla’s hand off him and took a step back. “I don’t appreciate being patronized either.”

Darla frowned when David showed no enthusiasm at the attempt to get him to join them on the hiking trip. What was she doing wrong? David only marched up to his tent and Darla sighed in defeat. Why wouldn’t he just understand the potential he had?

-~-

In the following week, Max heard the doorbell ring and watched as David went to the door. When he heard an excited exchange of words in the house, he decided to walk over and look at what was happening. When he arrived, he stopped dead in his tracks and stared. 

Max gave a look of confusion at the people David invited inside. The woman had brown and greying hair in a tight bun, showing almond shaped brown eyes. A dark man with black eyes and slight pepper hair stood right by her. They were smiling. It didn’t seem fake, but to Max it unnerved him. 

David took a step to the side and smiled to Max. “Oh! Max! I didn’t hear you coming over here. Max, I’d like you to meet Gregg and Darla. Gregg, Darla, this is Max. He’s been staying with me this entire time. I know you’ll get along!”

Darla crouched to Max’s level and put out her hand. “Hey Max! David has told us so much about you so I’m glad we finally got to meet the person behind the praise.” 

Max looked down at her hand and back up to her. She seemed… happy. Too happy. In fact, it was almost like looking at a middle-aged woman version of David. That was bad enough. What made it worse was that Gregg followed suit. “We were so excited to finally get to meet you. I hear you were a Camp Campbell camper like David.”

Max nodded slowly. “Yeah… I know who you two are. I kind of have seen your pictures before? Why are you here?”

David joined in on the conversation and Max jumped. He’d forgotten that David had even been there. “You see Max, I just wanted you to meet them because… Well… They’re my foster parents.”

Max looked back and forth between the three of them. It suddenly all made sense. “Why the fuck am I not surprised?”

It would be later during the week that Max had learned that they were staying for a while. Just great, what Max just needed. A bunch of fucking strangers in his home. Not that it ever mattered what he thought. Just another thing he’d learned about grown ups when living with his parents still. Nothing about you mattered to them. 

They’d pretend they cared, ask your opinion on various topics, but brush you off as if you had no idea what you were saying. David turned out to be no different after all. Right to be angry his ass. The last time strangers had been to his home with no consideration was the last day of school before this summer.

Max had been tired. His mom and dad had a party going on at home, but there was Max at school still at 8. Had they not heard him when he pointed this out a week before? Perhaps they’d forgotten. But why would they forget?

He thought that he was their baby boy. Their world he thought. Did they not care? He had known why they hadn’t cared. He wasn’t as important as their company parties. Why else would he have been at that school late at night?

It hadn’t been until 11 when a custodian took him home. Which lead to a grounding for even taking a ride with a stranger. 

“Max!” David’s voice interrupted Max’s thoughts and was suddenly pulled back into reality. They were going to have a dinner night. Right.

“Oh. Yeah. Right. Dinner…”

Max mostly picked at the food the rest of the night. He’d take bites but he wouldn’t really make eye contact with anyone. The three adults in the room did most of the talking, and when Max did talk it was a mumbled sentence or two. The rest of the evening after dinner was spent on television as David did dishes. He really didn’t want to get involved with the whole conversation so he just sat out of it by turning on some wrestling.

-

“I’m just stuck on what to do. He just won’t let me in guys. I feel at a loss and it doesn’t help that I’m probably making him feel uncomfortable. Do you have any advice on how to really just get him to trust me? Like when I was a kid?” David practically was pleading. He could tell Darla and Gregg were a bit concerned about how to help him with Max. Gregg put a hand on his shoulder.

“David there’s really no right way to help every kid that gets taken in. All we have to say is give him some time. It sounds like you two already know some things about each other. Have you told him about your experience?” David nodded a tiny bit.

“I have briefly… It was after Parents day. I had to star gaze since the day had been so eventful.” David started. Darla nodded.

“I remember you used to do that a lot as a kid.”

“I told him I was a foster kid but I never really went into detail. I didn’t want to stress him out more than the day already had. I just need help is all. Do you remember anything that would help me when I was a kid? Anything that seemed to get me to be more… polite to you guys?” David really had felt bad for all the times he’d been a little shit to the two of them when the fostered him. He couldn’t really remember a lot of what had happened but knew that in the end he just ended up warming up to the two. Gregg looked deep in thought.

“Well… There was taking you to the pizza parlour…”

-

The next morning during his breakfast consisting of Cheerios and toast Max had been given some news. 

"You want to take me out? All three of you? All day?” Darla smiled.

“Yep! We figured you don’t really know us that well so why not take you out on a trip to get to know us better? It’ll be fun! Besides, you get to pick out whatever you want to buy or wear. It’s on Gregg and I.” Max looked between the two of them. There was no way in hell they meant that. 

Unless it was a bribery to get him to do what they wanted.

“Look I appreciate the offer but I don’t really think that it’s going to help anyone at this point. Besides, just cause you’re rich or whatever doesn’t mean that you’re going to end up spending like a million on just me or whatever.” Max went back to his cheerios and took a bite of his toast. David only sighed.

“Max please. Trust us. We really want to do this. Besides! It’ll be fun! I promise!”

“You think fun is listening to Farmer’s Almanac and going camping on vacation from a job that IS CAMPING. So no thanks. If you find it fun, I’m out.” Max was about to take another bite of his toast when Gregg stopped him right in his tracks with a simple sentence. 

“That’s too bad, Max. We were truly going to let you pick out the stores we were going to. But I guess if you really don’t want to…”

“… So when do you guys want to go?”

It wasn’t until later that Max was starting to warm up to the two people who had known David most of his life. They were actually pretty cool. He learned Darla and Gregg had been married for almost 10 years and had been together 14. They had been taking care of David during that time and it was then that they realized that they might be right for each other. The shopping trip ended up being useful for Max. He lead the adults into various stores he was sure David had never been before. New clothes that fit him better, CD’s, shoes, all that stuff that he needed replaced. David had even let him get new computer games which surprised him. David was always about going outside and getting exercise. It was nice to know that David might actually be caring about Max’s hobbies. 

When they took Max out for pizza at the end of the day, they actually let him play as many games as he wanted and were quite genuine in wanting him to have fun. David was surprisingly willing to let him have as much pizza as he so desired. Finally a break from all the healthy shit that David made constantly. The best part in Max’s opinion was the fact no one gave him shit over it being over priced or how he had better be thankful that they even got to go. It felt… Nice.

He ended up having a really good time in the end. Max couldn’t remember the last time he even had fun. David was driving the four of them back to the house and they actually had a good conversation. It ranged from talking about life before Camp Campbell, what they did as of now, even the city where they moved. 

By the time they got home, Max offered to help Gregg put leftovers away into the fridge whilst Darla and David grabbed the purchases from the car. That’s when Max decided to ask Gregg the question that had been on his mind.

“Gregg?” 

“Yeah Max?”

“Can I ask you something?” Max asked as the fridge was shut.

“Go ahead.”

“Why did David invite you guys over?”

Gregg’s hand was on the fridge handle for a bit before heading to the sink, thinking about how to answer him. Max could see that it was something he didn’t want to answer but waited for the said response. Gregg turned to him as he opened the dishwasher.

“Why don’t you and David spend some time together and ask Darla to come help me? I’m sure David wants to spend more time with you.” Gregg said with a smile. Max was confused. The fuck was that supposed to mean? But whatever. Doing as he was told, Max walked over to the two and tapped Darla’s arm as she cut the last of the tags off with David. 

“Gregg asked me to tell you that he wants your help in the kitchen.”

“Oh. Sure. Thank you, Max. I’ll be in the kitchen David.” Darla then smiled and turned to head into the kitchen, and suddenly Max and David were alone. Max looked to David as he threw the tags and waste into the garbage pail. Sighing, David smiled. 

“I think today was fun. Don’t you think?”

“I guess…” Max sighed as he looked at the floor. David could tell he was feeling uncomfortable, so he crouched to Max’s level and put a hand on Max’s shoulder. 

“You know, it’s a clear night. Want to go look at the stars, buddy? Like last time?” Max looked at David with confusion before shrugging.

“Sure. Why the fuck not?” Taking their jackets, David’s a flannel and Max one of his new hoodies, they headed out.

Once on the back porch, Max looked up. It WAS a clear night. Here you could see thousands and thousands of stars over the pines. Max swore he could even see a faint hint of the Milky way stretching across the sky. 

“Wonderful isn’t it? I could never get tired of this view. Not in a million years.” David smiled and sighed dreamily. “I remember seeing this view my first night moving here. I was so amazed. How can something so new and so unfamiliar bring a single comfort with it? That was my first thought.” 

Max gazed up a bit and nodded. “I can see why yeah…”

David’s gaze was so focused on the stars Max thought he was frozen. He only kept quiet watching the lights in the sky when David broke the silence with a question Max never thought he’d hear. “I never told you what happened when Gregg and Darla took me in, did I?”

Max looked at him with surprise and shook his head. “No… You didn’t.”

David sighed and closed his eyes leaning against the wooden rails of the stairway of the porch. “It was the last day of camp…”

-~-

David watched as all the others left. One by one, he was starting to feel alone. Where were Linda and Darren? Surely he hadn’t been forgotten. Surely they cared about him. And surely they didn’t just send him off to a camp to get him out of their hairs right?

… No. They absolutely did. David sighed as Gregg and Darla sat with him and waited, staring in the darkness out onto the road. The only lights being from the cabin and the Camp Campbell sign. “Don’t worry David! They’re probably just late! That’s all! Right Gregg?”

“Right! Just… Haha… Late.” They both didn’t sound so convincing. It had to have been 11 o’clock by the time they could see David was falling asleep and shivering cold. Taking him inside, Darla and Gregg tucked him into Gregg’s cot and set Gregg up a mattress on the cabin floor. As they did so, David could hear as they quietly conversed one another about the situation.

“Gregg… His foster parents didn’t arrive. We have to report this to CPS.” Gregg shook his head.

“Darla, I know that. We both know that. But think about David right now. How do you think he feels? For fuck’s sake you know they’re going to take him away and move him to another home once more. Did you try calling them?”

“Multiple times. They didn’t answer ANY of the calls. It just went straight to voice mail. I was getting sick and tired of that damn robotic voice telling me to leave a message. Gregg,” Darla put a hand on Gregg’s shoulder and frowned, “what if they abandoned him?”

“What?” David thought the same thing. He thought he had this right. He thought they liked him. What did he do wrong?! Where did he go wrong?! Was he really that bad of a kid? 

“Look, I know it’s hard to face that fact but Gregg, what if they did this on purpose? Leaving David here alone on the camp ground? You’d be surprised at how many people just abandon kids like that. We have to call CPS. In the morning, I’m sure they’ll take care of it.” Darla sighed. “The question is how do we know that he’ll be okay?”

David fell asleep after that, his exhaustion taking over. It wasn’t until he heard a car in the driveway that he was wide awake. He looked at the clock. 10:57. He slept in late and figured it was because Gregg and Darla didn’t want to wake him up after a hard night last night. He heard car doors shut and knew that sound. That same sound.  
CPS. 

David frowned. So Linda and Darren really did abandon him. He shouldn’t have expected anything else. Rubbing his eyes, David sat up and looked at his bag. Might as well grab it before they came to retrieve him. David put his bag on when he heard footsteps coming into the cabin. The door opened to reveal Darla and Gregg coming inside. They looked at David with surprise.

“David… Hey. How’d you sleep kiddo?” Darla asked.

“Okay.” David walked past them and headed straight for the Volkswagen that usually greeted him when it was time to get to a new home. He went to open the car door when the man stopped him. 

“Hey. We went to their house and got your stuff for you. We won’t be going back there in case you were worried. I’m sorry, David.” David scowled and shook his head.

“You sure sound it. Prick…” As David went to climb into the backseat, Darla’s voice called out to him. 

“Wait! Wait David! Gregg and I were talking and… And…” Gregg stepped in.

“We want to take you in David.”

David looked back sharply at the two of them. His counselors?! Wanted to take HIM in?! Now he knew he was truly hearing things. David turned around and faced them, crossing his arms keeping the scowl. “Very funny. You had your fun you two. Just leave me the fuck alone will you?”

Darla put a hand on David’s shoulder and crouched down. “David sweetie… You’ve been one of the best campers here-”

“You’re talking about Jasper.” David interrupted. Darla only ignored him and continued. 

“Look. We know this is difficult for you. And we know you’re not going to like living in a stranger’s home. But David. You know us? And we know you? So Gregg and I were thinking last night when we called CPS… Well…” Darla turned to Gregg and Gregg nodded as she said it. “Do you wanna stay with us?”

David looked between the two and frowned. “What?” 

“Do you want to stay with Gregg and I, David? We were talking on the phone last night with the agent here and well… I have taken in foster kids before myself…” Darla started in. She was on both knees now with both hands on his shoulders.

“What do you say David? Wanna come stay with me and Gregg? Gregg offered to move in with me, so that way you have two adults you know instead of one. I know it’s a lot to offer and that you’re going through a lot right now. But this is your call David. What do you say?” Darla smiled at him gently as David looked between the two of them. That would explain why his stuff had been brought here with him. 

They wanted him to come live with them. They wanted to take him in. They really wanted him? He breathed deeply a couple times before answering. “You’re only joking. No one could really… want me. I’m a bad kid. I do bad things. I say bad words. I even have given you the hardest time here at Camp Campbell. Why do you want me even?!”

Gregg now joined Darla on the ground on his knees and smiled. “Because you’re you, David. And we really like you as a kid. And we want to help.”

-~-  
“So… They took me home that day. I got settled in, and it just went from there. When they asked if they could adopt me when I was in senior year… It was… It was like I was wanted again for the first time in forever.” David sighed. “I was like you Max. I was scared. I was emotional. I distrusted ANYONE who even thought to offer me any help. That’s why I care in the first place. I was you once. I was there. And Max if you don’t believe me, ask them. I truly care. I really do. I just wish I could help you see that I do.”

Max was now confused. Why would David open up so much about his early life if he didn’t know how Max would react? He only shook his head. “David… It’s just… It feels fake.”

David raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean all that has happened and life itself right now.” Max pinched the bridge of his nose. "David... all that's happened... It feels so... Fake."

"Perhaps so, Max. But sometimes life is going to hand its troubles to you. It's going to be a pain, and it's going to bite you. But you need to enjoy the wonders it gives you."  
Max looked onwards to the two who raised David through the kitchen window as they helped make dinner. Gregg and Darla were amazing. They seemed so happy, cheerful. Even glad to be alive. Max shook his head. 

"David, look. Life is fucked up and I don't really think it's worth it. If life were kinder, yeah. Maybe I'd care. But not everyone gets to be like you and live happily ever fucking after. It's a damn dream. And honestly, I don't think I can reach it."

David then put his hand on Max's shoulder and smiled. "Then let's compromise and see what we can do."

At that point, Max didn’t care. Wrapping his arms around David’s neck, he shook. “Why do you care so much David? Why do you care about me? You have no reason to and yet you do. You always find a reason to care about assholes like me. Why?” 

“Because I was there-”

“No. Why do you care about how I feel? You care about my situation. You care that I need someone. But why do you care about how I feel?!” David only smiled.

“Because that’s what a parent does. They care. And I won't stop until you know I do care, Max.”


End file.
